New extreme right plan: How to `Annex all of Judea and Samaria` and maintain Jewish supremacy

http://www.scooper.co.il/pr/1020657/
Knesset Member Uri Ariel`s Hebrew Press Release – translated by Adam Keller
MK Uri Ariel presents a political program at the Jerusalem Conference: `Annex all of Judea and Samaria`

In a special panel on `Alternatives to a Palestinian state` at the [extreme right] Jerusalem Conference, MK Uri Ariel today introduced his political program, which means annexation of the whole of Judea and Samaria to Israel and giving a chance to a 100% of the residents there to obtain Israeli citizenship.

According to this program, the entire territory will be annexed and all Judea and Samaria Arabs will have the status of permanent residents in Israel. This will give them the very same status enjoyed by 284,000 residents of East Jerusalem, of whom many opinion polls indicated that if given a choice between the State of Israel or a Palestinian state they would choose for Israel.

This status will give them: a blue identity card, social security, health services and all other services given to every citizen in Israel, and the vote in municipal elections for the municipal authority within whose borders they live – but no right to vote in Knesset elections.[Emphasis by translator.]

Any Arabs of Judea and Samaria interested in having a full Israeli citizenship would be able to get it after a five years` waiting period, as in getting the United States citizenship, at whose end they will have to undergo a citizenship test and a Hebrew language test and to sign an oath of loyalty to the State of Israel. After that they would be able to vote to the Knesset.

In order to maintain a Jewish and democratic state, the electoral system will be adapted into a proportional-regional system. When the constituency boundaries are determined, there should be created a situation in which Judea and Samaria will not constitute a single electoral district, as that would give the Arabs a significant representation in the Knesset. Rather, Judea and Samaria will be divided among several constituencies – e.g. Jenin will be incorporated in the Afula Constituency, Nablus – in the Metropolitan Tel Aviv Constituency, Ramallah – in the Greater Jerusalem Constituency, and so on. Thus, a democratic Jewish majority in the Knesset will be maintained.

MK Uri Ariel rejects the suggestion that within 30 years Arab demography will overcome the Jewish one: `This is a fundamental mistake derived from years-long scare propaganda. The trend is reversed, already years they give birth to less and less children, while in the Jewish sector the birth rate is steadily rising. If we also take Aliya into consideration, a two-thirds Jewish majority can be maintained for a considerable period.

MK Uri Ariel continued by emphasizing the importance of a strong economy in the territories. A major element to the success of the program is the ability of Israel to provide equal services and a strong economy for all the Arabs of Judea and Samaria. `There are many indications that the Arab population itself is very tired of the terrorism and lawlessness which prevail over them since Oslo. Experience shows that inside Israel – in the Galilee, Negev and East Jerusalem – the Arabs very much don`t want to give up their blue Identity Cards and the privileges associated with them. It is of great importance that all Judea and Samaria Arabs who become part of Israel will be given an adequate level of services, including good education, welfare, infrastructure, and of course employment. A good and strong economy and equal services are the condition for success.`

MK Uri Ariel summarized the plan and said: `It is clear that it would be difficult to get this idea accepted in the public mind, but what`s a better choice? A Palestinian state in the 1967 lines, with all the dangers which this entrails? And anyway, is it possible to reach a Palestinian state in the present reality? It`s time to stop fearing to exert our rule. The Government of Israel should govern the Jews, the Arabs, the Palestinians and the Druze, and every person who lives in Israel – no longer constantly make efforts to find easy, useless solutions. It`s time we stop burying our heads in the sand. We can continue to blab on Palestinians statehood, but if we don’t put our act together now we will find ourselves in a bi-national state which would be forced upon us and where somebody else will make the rules. If only we stop fearing to seriously govern this country, we can get to that bi-national state with us setting the rules and defining how it would look like. The idea of Palestinian statehood west of the Jordan River was conceived by the Left and quite few Right-wingers were dragged into it, who nowadays try to justify themselves by asserting that you must be `realistic`. But this idea had been tried, and it failed. It`s time to change reality, to present a new alternative and bring the Israeli public – in the end, even the left – to this idea. If only we manage to muster a bit of courage, in a few years we could have a majority supporting full Israeli sovereignty west of the Jordan. That is the best option`.